How to Display Access Date Fields with Uppercase Month Abbreviations
Question details
The user wants to format date fields in Microsoft Access to display month abbreviations entirely in uppercase letters, such as 'AUG' instead of 'Aug'.
- Product
- Microsoft Access
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Formatting date displays for reports or forms where specific style guidelines require capitalized month abbreviations.
- Observed behavior
- Access automatically applies the table or control date format, changing uppercase months back to title case because the default Format function is not case-sensitive.
Verify that the field or control where you intend to display the uppercase date is not strictly formatted as a Date/Time value in the Property Sheet, as built-in date formats will override custom text capitalization.
Combine the UCase and Format Functions
Convert the date to a text string using the Format function, then use UCase to capitalize the entire resulting text string.
Because the built-in Format function in Access is not case-sensitive, it will natively output months in title case. Wrapping this output in the UCase function forces the entire string into uppercase characters.
For this method to work properly, you must clear any existing date formats from the target control's properties. If a format like 'Medium Date' remains, Access will override the UCase formula.
Navigate to the Access form or query where you need the custom uppercase date to appear.
Select the text box control. Press F4 to open the Property Sheet, go to the 'Format' tab, and ensure the 'Format' property is completely blank.
In the Control Source property of your text box (or in the query Field row), enter the formula: =UCase(Format([YourDateFieldName], "dd-mmm-yyyy")).
Switch back to Form View or Datasheet View to confirm that the date now displays with an uppercase month abbreviation, such as 24-AUG-2021.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Access ignore my custom uppercase month formatting?
Access applies the Date format of the table or form control after the value is assigned. Additionally, the built-in Format function is not case-sensitive, so it automatically defaults to title-casing the month abbreviations (e.g., 'Aug').
Can I use the UCase function directly on a Date/Time field?
No, UCase is designed strictly for text strings. You must first convert the date to a formatted text string using the Format function before applying UCase.
Why does the UCase formula still output title case in my form?
If your control or table field still has a format like 'Medium Date' specified in its Property Sheet, Access will reapply that date styling over your formula. You must delete the format from the 'Format' property completely.
